SIUBlues2

“It’s under control,” Sinclair promised, doing his best to reassure his new partner.

“When we started this deal, I was under the impression that your company was stable. From the recent reports I have been getting, you’re far from it.”

“I had a situation and I took care of it,” he said simply. “I’ve already spoken to the owner of the company and I can assure you that we still have a deal.”

“We’d better,” the voice at the other end said with conviction. “I do not like to have my plans interrupted for any reason. If there is going to be continued problems, then I will have to look elsewhere.”

“That’s not going to be necessary. Everything is perfectly fine.”

Sinclair sighed as he quietly hung up the phone, then looked over at his silent partner. “Talk about pulling a rabbit out of a hat. We still have a deal.”

* * *

Harvey adjusted his carryon bag when it started to slip off of his shoulder while he waited for the cluster of people to retrieve their bags and disembark the plane. He couldn’t remember a longer day. Catching a flight right after Evan’s funeral had been a blessing as well as a curse. His emotions were still raw and sitting in a tube filled with heavily perfumed strangers wouldn’t have been his first choice, but he was glad that he had made the trip. At least he felt like he had some closure with Evan and his family.

He was genuinely touched when they pressed him to return one day, but he doubted that he ever would. That part of his life was over. His best friend was gone and seeing his family would only bring back the memory of seeing Evan lying in state, of watching his mother practically being carried off because her legs would no longer hold her, or having Evan’s brother, Brett, question him accusingly about what had happened. It was too much to think about.

While trying to push aside the unpleasantness of the last forty-eight hours, Rachel had repeatedly invaded his dark mood and lightened his heart. He had decided that Nash had merely misunderstood his relationship with Rachel, but just the idea of Rachel having an interest in him somehow made him feel a little better.

She had been a stable faction in his life for some time. She was an outstanding police officer, professional without being ridged. She was quick both physically and mentally. When something didn’t make sense to her, she would latch onto it, her mind working through every single detail until she finally solved the problem. That had saved his life more than once. He depended on her.

But, it wasn’t only the professional side of her that impressed him. Her sense of humor meshed with his so well. More than once, they had teamed up to pull a practical joke on someone in the office with the new officers being an easy target. No one was officially initiated into the unit until Harvey and Rachel had duped them. All eyes would be on them when a new recruit ventured into their lair, waiting, wondering what the pair had cooked up for the new guy. Then applause would erupt when their prank was discovered and they would take a bow.

Harvey shook his head with a smile as he started up the gangway into the terminal. There she was, on his mind again. He was going to have to talk to her soon. He wasn’t sure of what her feelings might be for him, but he was fairly certain that his own were growing stronger toward her. He had never examined his relationship with Rachel before and, now that he had a couple of days to ponder over it, he couldn’t imagine why he hadn’t thought about it sooner.

Harvey stopped short when he entered the terminal and saw Rachel standing a few yards away. She had been leaning up against the wall, her arms folded over her stomach and her legs crossed at the ankles, but that sight was nothing compared to the saunter she had as she moved toward him. Dressed from head to toe in black, leather jacket and boots and hip-hugging slacks, she was the essence of the fem fatal. He couldn’t stop staring at her or stop the little smile that inched up the corners of his lips.

“Wow,” he said softly when she was close enough to hear over the deafening void of the terminal. “Don’t tell me Nash’s got....”

Pressing her lips to his to stop his words had been a reckless impulse, something that she would kick herself for later, but she was going to enjoy the sensation of Harvey’s body next to hers for that one moment in time. She slipped her hand into his hair and felt his locks curl around her fingers. Then, when he responded to her kiss, she thought that her knees would give away.

She had to stop, to tear herself away, to focus. She would recall the instant her mouth touched his with bittersweet agony. She would relive with torturous ecstasy the moment when he actually started kissing her back. Her eyes closed in a silent prayer. God, give me strength. She had a job to do, but she allowed herself a small hug to conceal her hastily whispered words against his cheek. “Sinclair’s men are here for you. Nash sent me as backup.”

There wasn’t time for anything further between them. Two well-dressed muscle men suddenly appeared on either side of them. “Mr. Sinclair wants to see you now,” one of the men said as he took Harvey’s arm.

Rachel reacted as Nash had instructed her. A quick thrust of the hand and jab with the elbow caused the burly man to take several steps back to keep his balance. An unexpected show of force from an unlikely source would gain attention for her and draw it away from Harvey so that he would have time to regroup. “Back off!” she said with a hiss.

When the man regained his equilibrium and looked like he wanted to go after Rachel, Harvey quickly warned him off. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. She can take off parts of you that you might want to keep.” The man hesitated as he sized Rachel up once more, then decided that it would be best to let the moment pass.

Harvey heaved an inward sigh of relief when the situation was defused as quickly as it began. “I assume there’s a car waiting?” he said as a way to get the men moving so that he might have a few seconds more with Rachel.

When the man started to reach for Harvey’s arm once more, Rachel wagged a finger at him in warning. “Uh uh. Hands off.” The man hesitated, then looked to his partner for guidance. Without another word, they turned and led the way through the terminal.

Harvey wrapped his arm around Rachel’s waist to keep her close and leaned his head toward hers. “What is going on? Why the cloak and dagger and why are these two goons here? I thought the meeting was set for this weekend?”

“It was,” she whispered. All intimacy between them was gone. She would wonder later if she had imagined the entire thing, but now her business was keeping them both alive. “We wouldn’t have even known his men were here, but we put added surveillance on them just in case our shooter got in contact with Sinclair.”

“What?” Harvey returned, confused.

“It’s too much to get into now. Something else is going on here, but we haven’t figured out what yet. Nash sent me in to give you the heads up. Sinclair is pushing for a meeting, but Nash said to do whatever it is you have to do to stall him. We haven’t had time to set anything up. Communications have been problematic at best.”

“You couldn’t set anything up?” he asked with a note of surprise. “You telling me you keep that outfit in your locker at work? Or did you wear that just for me?” he teased because he knew that he wouldn’t get any further details until they were alone.

“What makes you think I didn’t have other plans this evening?” she shot back, then added with a smile. “I do have other interests besides saving your butt.”

“Ouch.”

* * *

Rachel’s eyes scanned the opulent home efficiently. Money was ridiculously evident in artwork and furnishings, but the house staff was nowhere in sight of the study where they were led. Privacy was obviously the main intent of that evening. The two men that had escorted them remained in the room, but stood guard at the double doors, while a third stepped up to Harvey and Rachel to stop their approach to Sinclair.

“Mr. Sinclair was under the impression that this meeting was to be private,” he said smugly, clasping his hands in front of him as he shrugged his shoulders beneath a jacket that appeared to be a bit too small.

Rachel gave a mocking smile at the uninspired show of strength by the Mr. Atlas want-a-be as she draped a hand over Harvey’s shoulder. There was so much more to security than mere muscle. She knew that her strength lay in the assumption that she was merely a pretty ornament on Harvey’s arm. No one ever suspected that she was a martial arts student and that gave her the edge.

Harvey glanced around at the others in the room. Aside from the three bodyguards, Sinclair was several yards away handing yet another man a glass of brandy. “Looks to me like you’re having a party,” he said mockingly. “What’s one more?”

“Mr. Sinclair doesn’t like surprises,” Mr. Atlas informed him.

“Neither do I,” Harvey returned sharply. “Our meeting was for this weekend and I don’t appreciate having my plans change.” His icy stare softening from the dismissal of a subordinate to the consummate business man as he looked across the room at Sinclair. “But, plans change.” He gave Sinclair an acknowledging nod, then turned his cold glare back to the man in front of him. “Deal with it.”

“You’re companion will have to wait outside,” he insisted, unperturbed by the quelling glances.

Harvey shook his head and assumed the mocking look of a parent talking to a stubborn child. “You don’t seem to be understanding me. She stays with me.”

He hesitated for a moment, then turned just enough to look back at his boss. Sinclair lit up a cigar as he seemed to ponder the goings on for several seconds, then he gave his response in a silent gesture. The man stepped up to Rachel without hesitation, lifted her arms and immediately began to pat her down. His mistake had been when he insolently grabbed her breasts.

Before anyone knew what was going on, Rachel had the man kneeling in front of her with his hand twisted back over his shoulder. Her fingers were clenched into his hair as she jerked his head back and dug the pointed heel of her boot into his calf. “Now that wasn’t entirely necessary, was it?” she hissed at him.

Harvey smiled insolently as he leaned over slightly to look into the man’s upturned face. “Is that any way to treat a lady?” he asked mockingly. When his only response was an heated glare and gnashed teeth, Harvey added insult to injury. “Now, say your sorry and she’ll let you go.”

His face contorted in pain and anger as Rachel added a twist at each pressure point in hand, encouraging him to make a hasty decision. “Sorry,” he growled.

Rachel immediately released him, then reached out to take Harvey’s extended hand. His smile grew when their gazes locked. She played the part of vixen perfectly. She eased closer to him, her hand lightly caressing his shoulder to imply a more intimate relationship as she accepted his silent admiration. Then she stepped away again, immediately falling into her role as backup.

“Mr. Sinclair,” Harvey began for Rachel’s benefit, gesturing to their host, then included the fifth man in the room. “Mr. Griggs. May I introduce Ms. Winters.” He smiled at Rachel. “My bodyguard.”

Sinclair’s eyebrow rose in surprise. “Your bodyguard?” he said with amusement, his eyes taking in every inch of her from head to toe. What she lacked in stature, she made up for in deftness. “I didn’t realize that you felt the need to have such protection, Mr. Glass.”

“Considering what happened to my associate, I thought the move prudent,” Harvey returned as he gauged Sinclair’s reaction. Not even a flinch. Could he have been behind Evan’s death? If he was, he masked his expression perfectly.

“Oh yes. I heard about the unfortunate incident. My condolences.” He made an attempt to look sympathetic, but failed miserably. With that said, the matter was dropped and he turned his attention to Rachel once more. “I must say that the protective services have improved.” He gave her a nod. “Ms. Winters,” he added in greeting, then ignored her completely. “I spoke with your boss yesterday, Mr. Glass,” he began. “He appears to be a man who knows what he wants. I like that.”

How did he get to Nash? Harvey wondered, his mind racing. What had they discussed? Were any arrangements made? Now he understood why Nash had sent Rachel along. She would be fully briefed and would make sure that the conversation didn’t start down the wrong path. “And he usually gets what he wants,” Harvey returned, careful not to reveal how little he actually knew about the situation.

“Hmm,” was Sinclair’s only response for a long moment as he took a lazy drag off of his cigar. “I’m just the same sort of man,” he finally continued as he leaned back on the edge of his desk. “I have little use for middlemen when things could be handled much more efficiently through men like Mr. Malone and myself.”

“Meaning that you would prefer to conclude our business with Mr. Malone present,” Harvey stated the obvious.

Sinclair smiled as he pointed his cigar in Harvey’s general direction. “That is why Mr. Malone is so successful in his endeavors. Because he surrounds himself with intelligent people. I would like to have someone like you on my payroll. Someone that I could trust with my transactions without the need to finalize personally. That kind of person would be invaluable to me. I would be willing to compensate such a person handsomely.”

“A dismissal and a job offer.” Harvey surmised as he mulled over the suggestion. “I’m not sure whether to be insulted or flattered.”

Sinclair gave a soft chuckle. “The latter, I assure you, Mr. Glass.”

“Then I thank you, Mr. Sinclair, but I’m afraid that I must decline. My loyalties to Mr. Malone go far deeper than mere finance.”

He shook his head. “Such a shame. Men like you are hard to find. However,” he said, changing the topic of conversation quickly. “I’m afraid that the arrangements we had for delivery this weekend must be moved ahead.”

While the discussion continued between Harvey and Sinclair, Rachel’s eyes and thoughts focused on the other silent member of their foursome. A well-built and well-dressed black man, distinguished and well-groomed. He hadn’t spoken a word and seemed almost bored with the conversation as he stared into his brandy, alternately swirling and sipping it. Who are you? Rachel asked silently. I know you from somewhere. She was certain that they had never met, but there was something very familiar about him. She willed him to stand with her eyes, to say something, to look at her once more, but he appeared oblivious to everything other than his drink. It was like trying to recognize someone that you had never met before from a photograph. There was no life. The telltale signs of a person were not in their looks, but their actions.

It wasn’t difficult to figure out that Sinclair was no longer willing to deal with Harvey. It was going to take Nash to fulfill the ultimate conclusion. Harvey wished that he knew what the two of them had talked about before he was confronted at the airport. He knew that was why Nash had sent Rachel along and he was grateful for that. Still, he hated stalling. He would rather lock Sinclair down to a day and time instead of leaving everything up in the air. That was when mistakes were made.

“I understand that your boss has a lucrative shipping business,” Sinclair said, seemingly changing topics from acquiring the shipment of drugs.

“He makes do,” Harvey returned evasively. Why would he be curious about Teddy Malone’s shipping company? The drugs were suppose to be in the warehouse. There was no need for Nash’s undercover persona to move the merchandise. Harvey was more confused than ever with that slant on the conversation.

“I may have use for a shipping company with Mr. Malone’s credentials,” he returned as an explanation, but added nothing further.

Sinclair needed someone specifically suited for moving large shipments of merchandise, Harvey deduced. That meant that there could be other fish on the line waiting to be netted. Their undercover operation was just bumped up a notch. But it was obvious that there was some sort of power struggle going on between Nash and Sinclair, thus the job offer. Unfortunately, that didn’t tell him much.

Harvey decided to defer as much as he could to give his boss time to make necessary arrangements then allowed Sinclair to have the upper hand momentarily. “I will pass that along to Mr. Malone and we will be expecting to hear from you when the shipment arrives.”

* * *

Nash met them in the lobby of the new hotel he had selected and went with them to the suite that he had arranged. If the shooter had chosen the first hotel because of Harvey and Evan, then Nash wanted to make sure that Harvey had some protection. Two of their uniformed officers volunteered to trade in their uniform’s for suits and act as security outside of Harvey’s room.

Harvey paused long enough to say hello to each of the men before following Nash and Rachel into the hotel suite. He watched Rachel walking into and out of rooms, doing a standard sweep, and felt a little uneasy. There was definitely something that he didn’t know.

“Did Sinclair say anything when you showed up with Rachel?” Nash asked, jumping into the business at hand.

“His security wasn’t too pleased to have her there,” Harvey laughed. “Rachel had the head security guy on his knees, literally.”

Nash shot Rachel a surprised look from across the room. She was little, but he knew that she had a few good moves. “I’ll bet that they were surprised to see that your girlfriend was working for her black belt.”

“She definitely took them by surprise, but I didn’t tell them that she was my girlfriend,” Harvey corrected him. “I introduced her as my body guard.”

“Your body guard?” he asked incredulously, then laughed.

Harvey nodded as he gave her a smile. “I figured that, if Sinclair had gotten a glimpse of her the other day at the warehouse, then that would be a logical reason for her to be there and with a gun. He didn’t seem to recognize her, though.”

“Good thinking.”

“Speaking of bodyguards, what’s with the protective custody treatment?” Harvey was finally able to ask.

“With everything that has happened, we can’t be too careful. We still don’t know for certain that it was Sinclair the shooter was after. It’s just precautionary,” Nash returned, then began briefing Harvey on everything that had happened in his absence, including the murder of the hotel maid. “Tom Frey down in forensics reported that there was traces of latex found in the sink so our boy is probably pretty adept at changing his appearance. And then we’ve got the wiretaps on the SIU.”

“Wiretaps?” Harvey said incredulously.

Nash nodded with a disgruntled look on his face. “Remember when the phone line to the tug pulled away a few days ago?” They had to call in technicians to repair the cable. “That’s probably when it happened, so you know what that means.”

“Feds,” Harvey deduced. “But what do they want with Sinclair?”

“We haven’t gotten anything for certain, but my guess would be that they want him for the same reasons we do. Have you met anyone in his organization that might be a plant?”

Harvey shook his head. “Aside from staff and the goon squad, the only person that I’ve met is Griggs.”

“So what’s his story?”

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have one. At all. I’ve run all sorts of background checks on the guy, but he comes up clean. I can’t even find a drivers license. For that matter, I can’t recall ever hearing the man speak. Rachel has run a couple of her tweaked missing persons searches on him, but they didn’t turn up anything either.”

“Could he be a boy toy?” Rachel asked. She had been pondering over Griggs since they had left the house. Something about him irritated her senses.

“I don’t think so,” Harvey said with a note of doubt. “I mean, it’s hard to tell these days, but Sinclair has a reputation with the ladies. I just can’t see him swinging both ways.”

“I know I’ve seen him before,” Rachel said absently. “But I just can’t put my finger on where.”

“If this guy isn’t coming up on your searches, then he has something to hide. He might be the plant or maybe even our shooter.” He rubbed at his chin absently.

“I’m not sure how this fits in, but Sinclair hinted that he was interested in procuring Teddy Malone’s services with shipping,” Harvey added.

Nash stared at him for a long moment. “We’ve got another player,” he deduced. “I’ll bet it’s probably a manufacturer.”

Rachel watched her boss. She could practically see the wheels turning behind his eyes. “That makes sense. It could explain Sinclair’s reaction too. He went after Harv and Evan when he thought that his deal was going to fall through. The last thing that he needed was a couple of small time dealers messing up a major scam.”

“Thanks,” Harvey said in feigned offence over her slight.

“My guess is that it’s DEA,” Nash mumbled out loud, then started for the door. “Do you have everything you need here?” he asked Rachel, hesitating on his way back.

“I sent a suitcase over here earlier,” she said in response.

“Good. Then I want both of you to stay put. And I don’t want either of you to go anywhere alone.” He hitched a thumb in the direction of the two officers outside. “Forest and Monet volunteered for this gig so let them do their job. Besides, nothing impresses people like an entourage. We still don’t have a line on that shooter and I’m not entirely convinced that he was only after Sinclair. There have been far too many coincidences for my taste.”

* * *

After Harvey had showered and changed, he walked out into the sitting area to see Rachel peeking out the edge of the curtains. “So how did you get stuck with babysitting duty?” he asked as he rubbed his hair dry with a towel. “I think it’s being a little over protective, but who am I to turn down a quiet night, a beautiful suite and a good meal on the city.” When she didn’t respond, he stepped a little closer. “What’s on your mind, Rachel?”

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice so close to her, then shook her head. “Still trying to figure out where I’ve seen Griggs before. It’s driving me crazy.”

“You’re a pit bull, you know. You never let go once you got your teeth into something.” When he didn’t receive a snappy comeback like he was use to, he tried another form of diversion. “Have you had dinner yet? I’m starving. I’m going to call room service.”

“Sure,” was her reply.

He knew that she was still lost in her own musings so he went ahead and ordered for both of them. Just before he hung up, he remembered the two men out in the hall. Glancing around briefly after opening the door, he asked the two undercover officers if they needed anything, then returned to the phone quickly when they said no. “You’ve got about twenty minutes if you want to take a shower,” he told her as he dropped the hotel menu back into the drawer.

Still no response. Finally, he took her arm to pull her away from the window and pointed her toward the bathroom. “Why don’t you go take a shower,” he suggested firmly. “You’re not going to figure out Griggs life story tonight so let’s get something to eat then we can get some sleep.”

“Oh yeah,” she said on her way to the bathroom. “I’d love something to eat if you’re getting room service.”

Harvey chuckled softly, then went in search of the television remote. He clicked on the news as he dropped onto the sofa and propped his bare feet up on the coffee table, then he became oblivious as his mind locked onto a single thought. Here was the perfect opportunity for him to speak with Rachel.

But what would he say? How could he begin? How did a person tell one of his best friends that he thought he was falling in love with her? Would she laugh at him? He didn’t think so. Rachel was too nice a person to do that, unless she thought he was joking with her. He shook his head in an effort to purge the notion.

Would she pity him? That was an even worse idea. How was he going to broach such a delicate subject without coming off like a complete fool or a total sap? He had to find a way. His gut wouldn’t let go of the hope that there could be more between Rachel and him and it was growing worse with each passing day. Thoughts of her were becoming a distraction and he couldn’t afford that in his line of work.

His mind wandered back to the airport, to the way she looked, the way she walked, the way that she had kissed him. That image replayed over and over in his mind. “Wait a minute,” he whispered to himself as he sat up. “She had a suitcase sent over here. She wasn’t on any date.” His eyes traveled over in the direction of the bathroom when he heard the shower cutting off. Now he had to wonder if she had dressed in that sleek black outfit for him after all.

“Room service.”

“Wow, that was fast,” Harvey remarked as he let the young man into their suite, then he realized that the news had long since been over and was replaced by a late night talk show. The waiter made a quick transfer of the food onto the table from his cart with Officer Forest watching his every move, then turned to receive a tip before disappearing again.

Harvey stared at the table for a long moment, then glanced in the direction of the bathroom when he heard her blow dryer kick on. “It’s now or never,” he whispered to himself, then went to work. He switched the television off, then scanned the impressive sound system trying to find the power button. “Man I miss good, old-fashioned turn tables.” When he finally found the power, hard heavy metal music suddenly blasted from the speakers and he started pushing, turning and sliding every switch he could see just to get the volume down.

“Harvey? Everything okay?” Rachel called, poking her head out through the partially opened door when she didn’t receive a response right away.

“Yeah,” he called back distractedly. “Food’s here.”

“Okay. Be out in a minute.”

He sighed, closing his eyes for a second, then found a more appropriate station on the radio before switching off a few of the lights in the suite. When he was finished, he surveyed the setting. Dinner, soft music, soft lights. “She’s going to know what’s going on the minute she walks in here,” he said to himself and quickly backtracked, turning on a couple more lights and tuning in the radio to a classic rock station that he knew Rachel liked. To top it off, he pulled a couple of beers out of the mini-bar. He took a quick bite of his own food before she walked out so it wouldn’t look like he was waiting for her and nearly choked on his hastily eaten piece of meat.

“Looks good,” she commented as she raised the cover off of her plate with one hand while she rolled up the sleeve of her shirt with the other.

Perfect, Harvey thought as he glanced around at the atmosphere he had created. She hadn’t suspected anything. As far as she was concerned, they were just two friends sitting down to a meal. No pressure. No complications. Even the conversation started out “normal”. Rachel asked him about his trip, something that she wasn’t able to do when he had first arrived. He told her everything that had happened and she had sympathized with him. They were half way through their meal before he decided to take the plunge. “There was one good thing about this trip,” he began slowly. “It gave me a chance to think about a lot of things.”

“A chance to reflect, you mean?”

“In a way, I suppose. You were on my mind a lot.” Here we go, he thought. He saw her hesitate after taking a bite of food and could see the questions filling her eyes.

“Oh yeah?” she said suspiciously, giving herself a moment to think as she wiped her mouth with the linen napkin. “I guess you were worried about the arrangement with Sinclair falling through,” she suggested, hoping that was the direction that the conversation was heading. “You know that I would have called you if there had been any time.”

This isn’t starting off well, he thought. Both feet, jump. “Actually, it was more along the lines of a personal nature.”

Her reaction was immediate and unmistakable. “I’m going to kill Nash,” she said with vehemence, then quickly stood and walked away from the table.

Harvey was stunned momentarily. So Nash hadn’t been mistaken. It hadn’t been mere conjecture on his part. Rachel had actually spoken to him about her feelings. He still couldn’t believe it. After all this time, she hadn’t said a word or given him any indication. When he finally shook himself out of the shocking revelation, Rachel was no where in sight, but the light drifting of the curtain gave away her location.

“Rachel, you know better than to come out here,” he rebuked her when he joined her out on the balcony. With the possibility of an assassin in the midst of the city and no definite assurance of his target, they should be keeping out of sight. But, when he saw the death grip that she had on the iron railing, he knew that it wouldn’t be any use to try to talk her back into the hotel room. Whatever they had to say to each other was going to be out there.

Her face was silhouetted between the stars and the city lights below. Her eyes were glittering with anger and the possibility of tears. A light breeze was gently lifting her hair off of her shoulders. How could he have not noticed how beautiful she was? “Why didn’t you ever say anything?” he asked softly.

“I couldn’t,” she choked out, then fought for control of her voice. Her secret was out. She had to tell him now, but she had to keep what little of her pride that was left. She wouldn’t permit herself to break into tears in front of him. That would be the worst humiliation. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she detached herself from her emotions as best as she could. Being a cop had taught her one thing, how to separate herself from an intense situation and she desperately needed that skill now. “You have no idea how many times I have wanted to tell you, but there was always something or someone in the way.”

“You mean Bonnie,” he concluded, referring to his ex-wife.

Rachel nodded. “I had no right to say anything to you. Then, when you got a divorce, all you talked about is what a huge mistake you had made and how it was going to be a long time before you got yourself tangled up into another mess like that.” She was grateful that he didn’t try to explain anything away. He was simply listening and, somehow, that made her confession a little easier.

She looked up into his face then and saw compassion there. She knew that he wouldn’t dismiss her feelings. Harvey wasn’t like that. She only hoped that they could salvage a friendship out of the rubble she had created. “I don’t expect you to return my feelings, Harvey. I have no intention of pressuring you into anything. I accepted the fact that we were just friends a long time ago and I’m okay with that.”

He sighed as he searched her face. So much time had passed. So many years. “But what if I’m not okay with that?” he returned and she quickly averted her face. There was so much that he wanted to say, and yet, he couldn’t find the words. “You and I both know what happens to friendships, to partners that take their relationship to the next level. Things get complicated fast. It not only affects the two people involved, but everyone around them. And it’s not just work.” He fumbled for his thoughts to become clearer. “We already know so much about each other that we’re practically married as it is.” He shook his head. “How do you start dating after something like that?”

“You’re not saying anything that I haven’t already said to myself,” she returned, holding up her hand in the hopes of stopping him. All that she wanted to do in that moment was jump over the rail. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold herself together if he kept talking about how wrong any intimacy between them would be. “That’s why I never said anything to you. It’s insane to even consider.”

“Who ever said falling in love was sane?”

“Please don’t,” she begged him. She knew that he was only teasing, trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere, but she couldn’t handle any jokes right then. She had never felt more exposed in her entire life. “You have no idea what it’s like to fall in love with your best friend.”

He felt like singing, like dancing, like sweeping her up in his arms and never letting go. This couldn’t be happening to him. “I told myself that Nash was wrong when he suggested that you might be interested in me.” He tried once more to organize his thoughts. Nothing seemed to be coming out right. “I thought he was just mistaking our friendship for something more. I knew that there was no way that you could have any kind of feelings for me other than friendship, but just the idea of it made me recognize how I was feeling. I convinced myself that I didn’t have a chance, but that didn’t change the way I felt about you.”

Rachel blinked once, twice and that was the only movement her body could manage. Her breath had stopped along with her heart. “What?” she said weakly.

“I haven’t been able to get you off of my mind.” He reached out to take her hand and realized that she was trembling. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. I don’t even want to try.”

Rachel searched his face. She was so confused. Was she getting the brush off or not?

“And you are wrong, you know,” he told her with a smile. “I know exactly what it’s like to fall in love with my best friend.” An excited laugh burst from her lungs before she stifled it with her hand, but Harvey gently moved her hand away. “I’m going to be needing that mouth, if you don’t mind.”

Rachel melted into him as his lips took command of hers. She was delirious with joy. Never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that moment. Her body became one with his, fused together as his arms held her tightly against him. They devoured each other. Their passion ignited in an instant. They couldn’t get close enough. Buttons shot off in different directions when Rachel ripped the front of his shirt open. She needed to touch him. She had to feel his skin beneath her fingertips. When a soft moan escaped from deep within him, she thought that she had died. Nothing could be more perfect. Harvey could not be more perfect.

Then, the sound of a car backfiring rang out and shattered the oblivious ardor. Both Rachel and Harvey looked around quickly and realized the precariousness of their position. “We’ve got to get inside,” Harvey said as his senses began to return. Rachel didn’t hesitate, pulling him behind her by the hand. Once the balcony door was closed, they turned into each other’s arms again as their passion raged. Rachel had him backed into the wall one moment, then he turned and pinned her, his hands buried in her hair.

But sensibility had already crept back in. Reason was beginning to take hold. Harvey pulled away slightly, his breathing ragged as his hands pressed against the wall on either side of her. He knew that Rachel was fighting for control as well. She reached out to touch him, then pulled back, her body writhing with the fervor that she was trying to quell. He knew that one brush of his lips against her skin would toss caution aside for both of them. “We can’t do this,” he breathed heavily, praying that she would do something to break his resolve while knowing that he was doing the right thing.

“You’re right. You’re right,” she whispered, her lungs gasping for the same air he needed.

His mouth fell on hers again. He never knew that he could need someone so badly. His arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her off of the floor. His entire body actually ached to be next to hers. Her hands were against his face, in his hair, clawing at his back. Her every move, her every whimper, her every caress drove his sanity further and further away.

Then Rachel was the one to break their impassioned embrace, moving away from him quickly when he released her. “We can’t do this,” she repeated. She was several feet away before she dared to turn and look at him again. His eyes continued to devour her and she felt her resolve slipping. “Don’t look at me like that,” she ordered.

“Not looking,” he said, turning away quickly. He knew that they had to put a stop to what was happening between them just as he knew that neither one of them was strong enough to do it alone. “Not looking is good.”

“We can’t rush into this,” Rachel said, snatching her forgotten beer from the table and pressing the cool bottle against her heated skin.

“Not rushing,” he whispered from behind her, his arms circling her waist once more as his lips followed the path of the bottle against her cheek and throat. The bottle fell with a dull thud to the floor. She turned into his arms and his mouth took possession of hers once more. His arm swept up her legs and he carried her into the bedroom, but in his rush, he had forgotten about his carryon bag in the floor. In the next instant, Rachel went flying, narrowly landing on the bed, while Harvey tumbled to the floor at her feet.

“Are you all right?” Rachel asked as she flipped over on the bed to see him on all fours.

“Yeah, you?” he returned. When their eyes met, they both erupted into fits of laughter. They had been acting like teenagers in heat, literally falling all over each other. They had been friends, partners, too long to do something so reckless. What if one of the officers outside heard them? The gossip mill would be churning out rumors before the night was even over.

Harvey crawled up onto the bed next to her as their laughter died down. He took her hand in his and they stared up at the bare ceiling. They were both silent for several minutes, each lost in thought. They were on the brink of something fabulous and they were both afraid to break the magic that enveloped them with words. It was Harvey who finally broke the silence. “This isn’t going to be easy, you know.”

She sighed and gave his hand a squeeze. “I know.”

He rolled onto his side, propping himself up onto his elbow as he looked down at her. Her hair was spread out on the bed and her face softly lit from the light filtering in from the other room. He ran his finger lightly down her cheek and her eyes fluttered open to gaze into his. “I want to do this right,” he told her. “Lord knows I’ve had plenty of experience on how to do it wrong,” he said with a smile. “You mean too much to me to screw this up by rushing into anything.”

She was so touched by his words that she felt tears prickle at her eyes. “It would probably be a good idea not to let anyone at work know for now,” she added, referring to the two men stationed outside in particular. “Those guys would never give us a moment’s peace.” As she stared up at him, she wondered if he knew what he was getting himself into. She had never been in a relationship at work herself, but she had spent years trying to cover up her feelings for him. She felt like a veteran at keeping a secret. “This will get complicated,” she warned him.

He gave her a smile as he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “The best things are always worth the effort.”

She returned his smile, then her eyes grew wide as recognition finally dawned. “Griggs!” she said, then jumped off of the bed.

He watched her bound off of the bed and go in search of her cell phone on one of the dressers. “Just what every man loves to hear when he’s in bed with a woman, her calling out another mans name,” Harvey returned jokingly, a little confused.

“I just remembered where I’ve seen him!”

* * *